For Purple Line, rail and trail issues remain

Though Maryland has committed itself to establishing the two-county Purple Line Light Rail Transit system in the northern Washington, D.C. suburbs, exact routing issues remain, including potential conflicts between LRT and nearby bicycle paths on its western end.

An open house is scheduled for Monday, Sept. 9, at Bethesda-Chevy Chase Regional Service Center in Bethesda, Md., to address concerns over station siting and potential modal conflicts between the Purple Line and the Capital Crescent Trail.

Residents have been invited to see proposed changes, which include running the trail through a tunnel, and to comment on the plan, as well as the Purple Line's environmental impact study, now available online.

Opposition and objections to the Purple Line have been more frequent and intense within Montgomery County communities along the more western portion of the route, though county officials support the project. The Purple Line has been far less contentious and more generally welcomed within Prince George County, which includes the eastern terminus of New Carrollton, Md.